Cloud and Sephiroth have battled against each other over and over again. Iconic characters with iconic weapons, their fights transcended the story of their original game, Final Fantasy VII. Due to their popularity, their rivalry would be seen in the many other times that they showed up as guest characters.

Both of them are very known by the gaming community, usually dividing the spotlight. Sephiroth is one of the most powerful villains in Final Fantasy history, and Cloud is the one person who could defeat him more than once. There’s a lot of discussion regarding who is the better of the two, and there are plenty of arguments that favor each of them.

10 Cloud Defeated Bahamut Without Any Materia

In Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Kadaj, one of the bad guys, summons Bahamut to attack Midgard. The whole party shows up to fight the summoned beast, and they did not seem to achieve much during the fight. Cloud Strife was the last one to show up. When he did, he fought Bahamut alone and even managed to make the beast retreat.

Bahamut was too far to be reached, and Cloud had to be thrown up by the main characters to reach it. When the summoned creature was within range, a single slash was enough to put it down.

9 Sephiroth Can Summon A Supernova

Sephiroth’s destructive power is so over the top that it defies any sense of logic. One of his most known techniques is the spell called Supernova. Final Fantasy: Dissidia says that Sephiroth’s Supernova is an attack that sends destruction over other dimensions. Although the party clearly survived the battle against Sephiroth, it is safe to assume that Supernova is far more terrifying to deal with than a summon Materia.

In Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, Supernova is described as Sephiroth’s Limit Break by a member of his fan club. This means that even before he went mad, he already had access to this powerful attack.

8 Cloud Is Not A Normal Human

For a long time, Cloud thought he was a First Class SOLDIER. That because confused his life with Zack’s. Later on, we learn that Cloud never managed to make it into first class. Even then, he is the one who managed to kill Sephiroth when the then-SOLDIER went on a killing spree and hurt Tifa.

The fact that Cloud was strong enough to stop Sephiroth is in itself an amazing deed, but it turns out that he was experimented on by Hojo. Cloud was bathed in Mako and Jenova cells were inserted in his body, making him far more powerful than any SOLDIER ever was.

7 Sephiroth Is Far From Being A Normal Human Too

Sephiroth got almost the same treatment as Cloud, but it went way beyond that. He was experimented on from a very young age. He was also a first-class SOLDIER, and he was the strongest of all. Besides all that, he merged with Jenova, and she and Sephiroth become a single being.

After falling into the lifestream, Sephiroth learned all that he could from the planet. Besides that, he was able to create bodies to travel around the world when he needed something physically done.

6 Cloud Defeated Sephiroth Three Times

That is most likely why Sephiroth is always trying to bring despair to Cloud. It was Cloud who threw Sephiroth into the lifestream when he was leaving a Mako Reactor with Jenova’s head. It was also Cloud and his friends who defeated Safer∙Sephiroth at the end of Final Fantasy VII. Finally, at the end of the movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Cloud defeated Sephiroth once again, this time manifested from Kadaj’s body.

It is very clear that at this point, Sephiroth and Cloud are nearly at the same power level. The third time, Cloud was able to defeat Sephiroth on his own, without any help or use of Materia.

5 Cloud Never Fought Sephiroth Fairly

One can argue that the circumstances were always favoring Cloud in every single one of their conflicts. During the first one, Sephiroth was extremely confused. During their second encounter, Sephiroth transformed into a creature that had godlike powers. In order to be stopped, Cloud needed all his friends and all the Materia they could find on their journey.

The third time is the one that might cause some arguments. Kadaj turned into Sephiroth by merging with Jenova’s cells. However, in theory, the reunion should have happened with the help of the other two Advent Children. One can argue that Sephiroth did not have all his powers at his disposal.

4 Cloud Survived Everything That Sephiroth Did To Him

From psychological torture to emotional wounds, Sephiroth will do anything to have fun or to win. He has impaled Cloud more than once, but it was not his worst deed. He used Jenova spawns against him, controlled his mind to make him beat up Aerith, and so much more. This is why he is such a scary villain.

Even though Cloud has Jenova cells in his body, he ultimately rejects Sephiroth’s influence and manages to regain control over himself. Cloud defeats Sephiroth inside his mind, physically, and again when Sephiroth returns. In Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Cloud is so strong that he cuts through a whole building that Sephiroth throws at him, piece by piece. He never seems to be far behind Sephiroth during their sword fight.

3 Sephiroth Is Basically Immortal

Sephiroth created bodies out of thin air when he had to interact with the world. His original body was crystallized inside the lifestream. Upon fusing with Jenova, nobody can really tell what is Sephiroth and what is Jenova. Sephiroth exists on a cellular level. He can recreate his body from living things shall the host be appropriate, such as Kadaj for instance.

Sephiroth, when defeated in Advent Children, says that he will not turn into a memory. This most likely means that he still has ways to return. He was not completely defeated. Some Final Fantasy fans believe he went back in time and started the Final Fantasy VII Remake timeline.

2 Cloud Has Something To Fight For

Although his grief over Aerith’s death nearly destroys him completely, Cloud has plenty to fight for when he snaps out of it. When in battle with Sephiroth, he fights to avenge Aerith, but also to protect the planet she so much loved. He fights to protect the innocent as she would have wanted, but also to protect his friends (who become his family) from Avalanche.

Cloud likes to feel powerful and enjoys the thrill of the fight. When the stakes are high, though, those who have a reason to fight will show unmatched strength and come up with anything they can in order to win.

1 Sephiroth Is A Psychopath

Love, care, and other emotions can hold one back. Sephiroth will kill without hesitation if needed. Although he enjoys toying with his prey, there is nothing that stops him from taking what he needs when he does. And, he will play with the enemies’ emotions to weaken them if needed.

Sephiroth wanted Aerith dead, but when he murders her, he made sure to look at Cloud and smirk. Actions like that can ruin the adversary’s mind, giving him the upper hand. He will take whatever he needs and do whatever he can to win.

NEXT: 10 Final Fantasy Side Characters With More Interesting Backstories Than Sephiroth