Seifer Almasy

Seifer Almasy (or Cifer in the German version) is a temporary playable character turned antagonist in Final Fantasy VIII. He is the rival of main character Squall Leonheart and is the mirror image of him in many ways.

He wields the Gunblade in battle; a weapon unique to the Final Fantasy franchise.

Appearance & Personality
Seifer has short blond hair, blue-green eyes, and a scar across his forehead and nose received from Squall Leonhart, the protagonist of the game, as retaliation during a duel. Seifer wears a blue vest, with a cross-like design lined in white, a gray coat with an emblem resembling the symbol of the Cross of Saint James on the sleeves, as well as black gloves and boots. The cross is Seifer's symbol as much as the angel wings are Rinoa's and the lion is Squall's. He also wears a silver chain with a tag around his neck.

Seifer has great skills in battle, but his stubborn, arrogant, reckless and unpredictable nature has kept him from completing the SeeD exam multiple times. At the beginning of the game, he once again fails the SeeD field exam after his impatient behavior makes him disobey direct orders during the attack on Dollet. The other members in his Squad, Squall Leonhart and Zell Dincht, pass. There are many parallels between Seifer and Squall. Even though they are rivals, always battling to prove each other's superiority, they have an unspoken mutual respect for each other's prowess in battle. As aforementioned, both Seifer and Squall have a scar in their faces inflicted during their duel in the opening sequence. The scars are mirror images of each other, with Seifer's pointing upright while Squall's points upleft. Seifer is stubborn, arrogant, loud and outspoken rebel, while Squall is a silent, strict follower of duty. Both men are nigh-equally skilled in the ways of the Gunblade; however, his temper and impatience often leaves him losing to Squall. Seifer is born on the first day of Capricorn while Squall is born on the last day of Leo. Seifer's Triple Triad card is also a mirror of Squall's, both having the same numbers, only mirrored.

Ironically and despite his reckless and arrogant nature, Seifer is the head of Balamb Garden's Disciplinary Committee. The other committee members are Fujin and Raijin both of whom are extremely loyal to Seifer, and consider themselves a "posse". Other members of Balamb Garden consider them a "gang" more interested in exercising their "disciplinary" powers than actually keeping students in line.

It should be noted that, in spite of Seifer's actions throughout the game, he is not really evil, and is shown to actually care for the party. The most obvious example of this is when he storms out of the detention room at Balamb Garden upon hearing that Squall and company were sent on a mission in which they could end up fighting the whole Galbadian Force, possibly with intentions of aiding them. Seifer is then twisted by the Sorceress' power, and pursues a warped version of his dream: to be a Sorceress Knight. It could also be argued that he remembers who Edea actually is, as he refers to her as "Matron" right before the first fight against him at the end of Disc 2. In the End, Seifer watches the Balamb Garden fly by with a proud smile on his face, hinting that he never really harbored any ill-will toward Squall and Co. or against the Garden itself, but was in reality being controlled.

Story
Seifer was born 18 years prior to the events of Final Fantasy VIII. He was orphaned after his parents were killed in the Sorceress War and sent to Edea's Orphanage. From a young age he bullied the other children in the orphanage, especially Zell. As he grew up, he became a student at Balamb Garden, where he studied to become a SeeD. Seifer would later forget his past in the orphanage due to the memory loss that usage of Guardian Forces cause. At Balamb Garden, Seifer found friendship in Fujin and Raijin, and their posse was rarely seen apart. The friends later became the Balamb Garden Disciplinary Committee, abusing their power to give fellow students punishment and detention. Even though he forgot his past, he became a rival to another student at Balamb Garden called Squall Leonhart who had coincidentally grown up in Edea's Orphanage as well. Of all the students at the Garden, only Seifer and Squall chose a Gunblade as their specialized weapon, and they would often duel to hone their skills. Even though Seifer had great potential to become a SeeD, his behavior often made him fail the exams needed to become one and he was labeled a "problem child". Seifer also develops a "romantic dream" about becoming a Sorceress Knight, whose job it was to protect the current Sorceress, and borrows several books from the Balamb Garden related to the subject. About a year before the events of Final Fantasy VIII, Seifer started a romantic relationship with Rinoa Heartilly, a girl working in a resistance group to free the occupied nation of Timber.

At the beginning of Final Fantasy VIII, Seifer and Squall are shown having a fierce duel in a rocky field near Balamb Garden. Neither one seems to be giving an inch, but Seifer casts a Fire spell during the duel, sending Squall to the ground. Seifer strikes at Squall's face, giving him a bloody scar; however, as Seifer lets his guard down after this, Squall strikes back, leaving a mirrored scar in Seifer's face.

Afterward, for the SeeD field examination, Squall and Zell Dincht another coincidental orphan, with Seifer as their leader, are put into one group to form a squadron of SeeD for a military operation against the Galbadian Army. While Selphie Tilmitt, yet another orphan, later joins the group because of his disobedience during the engagement Seifer fails his SeeD exam once more. He grudgingly applauds Squall, Zell and Selphie, all of whom passed. While Seifer is sent to be disciplined for his actions during the exam, Squall, Zell, Selphie are assigned a new mission, their first as SeeD mercenaries: to aid a resistance faction known as the Forest Owls in their mission to free the occupied nation Timber. In this resistance faction, Rinoa, Seifer's former love interest, is a member. Having heard of this Seifer breaks out of the discipline room, injuring many people in the process, and embarks to assist them by holding the President of Galbadia hostage during a broadcast worldwide from the Timber TV Station. Backed into a corner and watched on by Squall, Zell, Selphie and Quistis Trepe; who had been sent to retrieve him, he attempts to retreat and is saved by Sorceress Edea who appears from out of nowhere and, appealing to Seifer's darker side, convinces him to follow her. Seifer is officially announced executed by the Galbadian government and a saddened Rinoa reveals her past with Seifer to Squall.

Seifer is believed dead until he suddenly shows up in Deling City, standing at the side of Sorceress Edea. He has become the Sorceress' protective Knight. Squall and their new ally Irvine Kinneas had been assigned to assassinate the Sorceress by shooting her but Irvine, remembering his past at the orphanage (he had not forgotten his memories due to the fact that he had never used Guardian Forces), refuses to shoot Edea and disguises it as merely nerves getting to him. He is convinced by Squall to shoot, but Edea blocks the shot with a magical spell. Squall is then forced to break into the Sorceress' parade and fight her one-on-one; however, Seifer stops him, and claiming his new status as hero and Knight of the Sorceress, fights Squall. After Seifer's defeat, Squall fights the Sorceress herself but is felled by an ice spell, which pierces Squall's shoulder and leaves him unconscious. When Squall comes to in Galbadia's D-District Prison he is quickly transported to the torture room by non-other than Seifer who tortures Squall for the truth about what SeeD really was. Squall, who does not understand the question, only further enrages Seifer who then turns on the electrical torture instrument to full, which leaves Squall unconscious and incapacitated. While Squall is later freed by and escapes with his friends Seifer, as now head of the Galbadian Army, invades and takes over control of Galbadia Garden in Edea's name. Enabling the Garden to be airborne he then embarks on the search for a girl named Ellone whom his Sorceress wished to be found. Eventually, wether the encounter was accidental during the search or intentional is unknown, he manages to intercept a similarly airborne Balamb Garden over the Cetra continent near the ruins of Edea's Orphanage.

With Seifer as commanding officer the Galbadia Garden launches a full assault on Balamb Garden. Eventually however the Balamb students and SeeDs turn the battle and make their way inside Galbadia Garden, where Squall and his party encounter Seifer. He is defeated once again, and is left unconscious and disgraced on the floor. Despite Seifer's determined efforts Squall's party eventually defeats Sorceress Edea as well but after the battle the essence controlling Edea, Sorceress Ultimecia, enables Seifer's escape.

Under the orders of Ultimecia Seifer embarks on a new quest to resurrect the Esthar weapon Lunatic Pandora from the depths of the ocean. Restoring the device to active status he then directs the pillar to be placed upon Tears' Point, starting the Lunar Cry and bringing into motion Ultimecia's plan for Time Compression. Squall and his party however once again move to prevent this, invading the construct with an Estharian airship and battling their way deeper into the Lunatic Pandora. Seifer, for his part, kidnaps Rinoa and offers her to Sorceress Adel, a recentilly ressurected Sorceress, only to have his plan defeated by Squall. These many toils have taken their toll on Seifer, as his hair is unkempt and his coat is blackened and falling apart. Here Fujin, who up to now had followed Seifer loyally, begs Seifer to stop what he is doing and just go back to being their friend. Seifer claims that it is too late to go back, and wishes them a good life, before he fights Squall one last time. During this fight, if the player has obtained Odin, Seifer manages to bisect him when he is summoned in battle, and Gilgamesh takes his place, and knocks Seifer down. Now, the evil essence that was corrupting Seifer's heart is gone.

After Squall and his party go into the future to defeat Ultimecia, Seifer is seen in the ending as an entirely different person. He is fishing together with Fujin and Raijin, and smiles towards Balamb Garden as it flies by.

In Battle
Originating as a temporary player character Seifer is later fought against four times in the game primarily as a mini-boss as he seeks to defend Sorceress Ultimecia as her Knight.

Weapons
Aside from Squall, Seifer is the only other student at Balamb Garden to wield a Gunblade. His particular model bears the name Hyperion, and utilizes a pistol integrated into the handle rather than Squall's revolver handles. The Hyperion might be decidedly lighter than Squall's Revolver, as Seifer holds it with one hand as apposed to Squall holding his primarily with two. The gun hilt used for the Hyperion is based on the Walther P-38 pistol.

Limit Breaks
Seifer's set of Limit Breaks is called Fire Cross. While there are four Limits that Seifer can use only the first Limit, No Mercy, can be used by the player. The other three (Demon Slice, Bloodfest and Zantetsuken Reverse) are used by him during battles against the player. Every Fire Cross Limit starts with him casting a Fire spell at his target in similar fashion as seen in the opening FMV of the game.

Unlike the rest of the player characters, Seifer can use his limit break quite often, because the chance it becomes available is at 84% or lower from his max HP.

 Limits 
 * Level 1: No Mercy  - The only Limit Break the player can use.
 * Level 2: Demon Slice - Galbadia Garden Boss Battle.
 * Level 3: Bloodfest - Lunatic Pandora Boss Battle.
 * Level 4: Zantetsuken Reverse - Used Against Odin''

Kingdom Hearts II
Seifer makes an appearance in Kingdom Hearts II, as a much younger version of himself. He is the leader of the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee, together with Fujin, Raijin and Final Fantasy IX's Vivi. In DiZ's simulated Twilight Town, he is a rival of Roxas and his friends, and fights him in the dueling tournament known as the Struggle. In the real Twilight Town, he is still the rival of the friends, but since Roxas does not exist here, Hayner is his main rival. He is exceedingly antagonistic against Sora, the main character of the Kingdom Hearts series, but after he saves Seifer's gang from the Nobodies, Seifer gives him the Struggle Trophy, an unspoken sign of respect. Although his rival Squall appears in the series as well, the two never meet, though they retain their trademark scars.

In the Japanese version Seifer is voiced by Takehito Koyasu. He is voiced by Will Friedele in the English version.

For more information see Kingdom Hearts Wiki: Seifer

Trivia

 * The red cross that is usually worn by Seifer, is a variant of the Cruz de Santiago (Cross of Saint James), the emblem of an ancient spanish order destinated to protect the European pilgrims from the Muslims of the Iberian Peninsula.

Etymology
Seifer's last name Almasy is from the common family name Almásy (pronounced ).