One-Winged Angel (theme)

"One-Winged Angel" (片翼の天使 "Katayoku no Tenshi") is the name of Sephiroth's theme in all his appearances throughout the Final Fantasy series. The song originally appeared at the end of Final Fantasy VII as the final boss theme, played during the battle with Safer∙Sephiroth. The song's name refers to Safer∙Sephiroth, who has six white wings and a grotesque black wing where his right arm should be.

The song is one of the most recognized tracks in the series, unseating what was originally Sephiroth's theme, "Those Chosen by the Planet." To that extent, the song and its title have become synonymous with Sephiroth, and One-Winged Angel has been used not only as the name of the song, but as a title for Sephiroth himself. One-Winged Angel has been remixed numerous times for different games in which he is featured, and to draw back to the appearance of Safer∙Sephiroth, Sephiroth is now commonly shown with a black wing extending from his right shoulder.

Lyrics
The verses for the Reunion Tracks version were taken from the medieval poetry compilation Carmina Burana. {| border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10" align="center" width="100%"
 * valign="top" width="50%"|

Latin
CHORUS Estuans interius ira vehementi Estuans interius ira vehementi Sephiroth Sephiroth

REPEAT CHORUS Sors immanis Et inanis Sors immanis Et inanis

REPEAT CHORUS

Veni, veni, venias, Ne me mori facias Veni, veni, venias, Ne me mori facias

Veni, veni, venias, Gloriosa Ne me mori facias Generosa Veni, veni, venias, Gloriosa Ne me mori facias Generosa

Sephiroth Sephiroth


 * valign="top" width="50%"|

English translation
CHORUS Burning inside with violent anger Burning inside with violent anger Sephiroth Sephiroth

REPEAT CHORUS

Fate - monstrous and empty Fate - monstrous and empty

REPEAT CHORUS

Come, come, O come, do not let me die Come, come, O come, do not let me die

Come, come, O come, Glorious do not let me die Noble Come, come, O come, Glorious do not let me die Noble

Sephiroth Sephiroth
 * }

Final Fantasy VII: Reunion Tracks
"One-Winged Angel" was included as an orchestrated rearrangement in the album Final Fantasy VII: Reunion Tracks.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
An arrangement of the song titled "The World's Enemy", plays during a flashback sequence where Sephiroth battles Genesis Rhapsodos, and the Sephiroth boss battle in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- along with "Controlling the Iron Beast". Compared to the original song, this arrangement features a shorter introduction leading into the vocals much earlier, and is shorter as a whole.

An interesting note is that this remix focuses on the orchestral elements of the song, providing a sharp contrast between it and Genesis' theme, "A Beating Black Wing", which focuses on rock elements.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
"One-Winged Angel" was remixed in the film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children for the final battle between Cloud and Sephiroth. This remix is titled "Advent: One-Winged Angel" ("Sarin: Katayoku no Tenshi"), and was meant to be the main focus of the film's soundtrack. The original, orchestral version from the Final Fantasy VII soundtrack was loaded into a computer, with rock instruments playing over it, and the overall tempo increased, to give the song a more intense feel than the original. In Advent Children Complete, the remix is extended slightly to accommodate the longer fight scene between Cloud and Sephiroth.

In the commentary for Advent Children, Nobuo Uematsu comments that the previous orchestration never really quite felt right to him and, by contrast, the combination of orchestra and metal sounds seemed to be what the piece really required all along. Uematsu also noted various rock bands that had performed their songs with an orchestra, and failed, and stated that because "One-Winged Angel" was written for neither an orchestra or a rock band, the two styles ending up meshing together well for the song's remix.

The lyrics of the Advent Children version were completely different from those of the Reunion Tracks. There is a dispute concerning the official translation of the Latin lyrics and another, more literal translation of the first and last stanzas. Whether or not the official translation of the song conveys the same message as its literal translation is entirely a matter of opinion.

Lyrics
{| border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10" align="center" width="100%"
 * valign="top" width="50%"|

Latin
Noli manere, manere in memoria Noli manere, manere in memoria Sephiroth, Sephiroth

Saevam iram, iram et dolorem Saevam iram, iram et dolorem Sephiroth, Sephiroth

Ferum terribile, terribile fatum

Noli manere, manere in memoria Noli manere, manere in memoria Sephiroth, Sephiroth

Veni, mi fili. Veni, mi fili Hic veni, da mihi mortem iterum Veni, mi fili. Veni, mi fili Hic veni, da mihi...

Noli manere in memoria Saevam iram et dolorem Ferum terribile fatum Ille iterum veniet

Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili

Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili (Qui mortem invitavis) Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili (Poena funesta natus) Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili (Noli nomen vocare) Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili (Ille iterum veniet)

Sephiroth, Sephiroth Sephiroth
 * valign="top" width="50%"|

Official translation
Won't remain, remain in memory Won't remain, remain in memory Sephiroth, Sephiroth

Raging anger, anger and misery Raging anger, anger and misery Sephiroth, Sephiroth

Fierce terror, fierce fate

Won't remain, remain in memory Won't remain, remain in memory Sephiroth, Sephiroth

Come, my son. Come, my son Come here, give me death once more Come, my son. Come, my son Come here, give me...

Won't remain in memory Raging anger and misery Fierce, terrible fate The second advent

My son, come, come, come, my son My son, come, come, come, my son My son, come, come, come, my son My son, come, come, come, my son

My son, come, come, come, my son (By death's invitation) My son, come, come, come, my son (Painful tainted birth) My son, come, come, come, my son (Won't call the name) My son, come, come, come, my son (The second advent)

Sephiroth, Sephiroth Sephiroth
 * }

Literal Translation

 * Don't remain, remain in memory
 * Don't remain, remain in memory
 * Sephiroth, Sephiroth


 * Fierce anger, anger and pain
 * Fierce anger, anger and pain
 * Sephiroth, Sephiroth


 * Wild, terrible, terrible fate


 * Don't remain, remain in memory
 * Don't remain, remain in memory
 * Sephiroth, Sephiroth


 * Come, my son. Come my son
 * Come here, give me death once more
 * Come, my son. Come my son
 * Come here, give me...


 * Don't
 * Remain
 * In memory
 * Fierce
 * Anger
 * And pain
 * Wild
 * Terrible
 * Fate
 * That [Man]
 * Once again
 * Will come


 * My son, come, come, come, my son
 * My son, come, come, come, my son
 * My son, come, come, come, my son
 * My son, come, come, come, my son


 * My son, come, come, come, my son
 * He who invited death 
 * My son, come, come, come, my son
 * [Was] born with an ill-fated punishment
 * My son, come, come, come, my son
 * Don't call his name
 * My son, come, come, come, my son
 * That [Man] will come again
 * Sephiroth
 * Sephiroth

Dissidia Final Fantasy
Dissidia features the arranged version of "One Winged-Angel" from the Final Fantasy VII: Reunion Tracks album as a battle theme, and may be heard whenever a story battle occurs in the Northern Crater. It can also be the default choice for fights against Sephiroth or Cloud.

Kingdom Hearts series
One-Winged Angel was remixed twice for the series, both times for the boss battles with Sephiroth in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, as well as playing during his fights with Cloud in cutscenes. The two remixes of the theme both feature a much shorter intro, leading almost immediately into the Latin vocals, and the vocals as a whole are more prominent than in the original version.

Trivia

 * The final form of Sephiroth, its name and the overall tone of its leitmotif bear notable elements that seem to make reference to Alexander Pushkin's poem The Prophet:


 * ''An angel with three pairs of wings
 * ''Arrived to me at cross of lands;
 * [...]
 * ''He touched my ears in movement, single,
 * ''And they were filled with noise and jingle:
 * ''I heard a shuddering of heavens,

Seraphs are sometimes depicted as angels with three pairs of wings, arranged in the same manner of Safer∙Sephiroth.