Remnants of Sephiroth

The remnants of Sephiroth are a trio of young men that serve as the primary antagonists of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Formed when Sephiroth's will refused to be absorbed into the Lifestream, the members of the trio each embody Sephiroth's willpower and are a fragment of him, although they are clearly distinguished as seperate entities to themselves and each embodies certain traits more than others.

The remnants of Sephiroth are Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo. Kadaj is the representation of Sephiroth's hatred and rage and serves as the leader. Loz is the manifestation of Sephiroth's physical strength speed as well as his attachment to Jenova. Yazoo represents Sephiroth's charisma and aloof demeanor, although without Sephiroth's other traits this makes him appear and act rather effeminate. Of the three, Kadaj and Yazoo both resemble Sephiroth greatly, but all of them wear black and have silver hair, making all of them appear similar to Sephiroth to a certain degree.

It is unspecified exactly when between Final Fantasy VII and Advent Children the remnants manifested, but they immediately began looking for their "Mother", Jenova. After searching everywhere and interrogating Rufus Shinra and Cloud Strife, the remnants attacked the city Edge believing that Rufus had hidden Jenova's remains in the city. Rufus then revealed Jenova's remains which fell into Kadaj's hands. Kadaj eventually absorbed Jenova's cells, allowing Sephiroth to shapeshift his body into his own image and take control of it. Following his battle with Cloud, Sephiroth was weakened and vanished.

Throughout the film the remnants indicate that they themselves are quite different from Sephiroth. Kadaj claims to Rufus that he doesn't even know Sephiroth, but can sense his presence and is distraught over "Mother" choosing Sephiroth as her son over him. Loz and Yazoo do not indicate one way or the other if they are aware of Sephiroth's existence. While all three remnants wish to find Jenova, they do not particularly appear aware of why they want to. Loz and Yazoo tell the Turks "she'll fix everything" and other equally-vague statements. Kadaj tells Rufus that when they find "Mother", they'll proceed to conquer the Planet. However, he appears not to know what to do with Jenova's remains when he first acquires them. Upon Cloud explaining "a remnant wouldn't really know", Kadaj does not object and bitterly asks "so what if [he's] her puppet", indicating he is partially aware of his ignorance over his own goals. The remnants consistently refer to Jenova as "Mother", indicating that, like Sephiroth, they believe Jenova is their biological mother. Although they know her true name, as shown by their reactions to Reno's comment about Jenova during their battle with him and Rude, they are otherwise unaware of her state - Kadaj himself is horrified upon seeing what is left of Jenova and openly weeps.

What is also unclear is the original plan of the remnants. Through the disease Geostigma, Jenova had infected many people, mostly children, with her cells. Kadaj indicated to Rufus and the children themselves this meant they were, in essence, Sephiroth Clones, and thus were needed for their "reunion" and the rebirth of Sephiroth. However, Kadaj is able to use Jenova's remains to recreate Sephiroth on his own, without assistance from Loz or Yazoo or from the children. However, Kadaj also said to Rufus that they and Geostigma weren't enough for a "true" reunion. Thus it is possible that while Kadaj was able to recreate Sephiroth alone, Sephiroth was created without his full power and if he had been reformed with the Jenova cells from the children and all three remnants, he would have been much stronger.

Whatever the case, after Sephiroth's defeat, Kadaj was weakened and heard Aerith's voice, who he believed was Jenova. Aerith comforted him and called down healing rain, and Kadaj allowed himself to dissolve into the Lifestream. Loz and Yazoo unwillingly followed soon after, attempting a final desperate attack on Cloud before doing so. With that, all three remnants died, although it is unknown what this means for Sephiroth himself.