I know that with every concert that we have, when we have the orchestra perform 'One-Winged Angel', for some reason or another that's the one that has the biggest reaction, and everyone sort of expects that to be in a Final Fantasy concert. I still can't figure out why. I know that I pushed everyone to his/her limits, but then it worked out in the end.
Nobuo Uematsu
"One-Winged Angel" (片翼の天使, Katayoku no Tenshi?) is the final boss theme from Final Fantasy VII, composed and arranged by Nobuo Uematsu. It is notable for being the first theme in the series to feature vocals.
"One-Winged Angel" is one of the most popular tracks of the Final Fantasy series. Its name refers to Safer∙Sephiroth, who has six white wings where his legs should be and a grotesque black wing where his right arm should be. Since its original appearance, the title is commonly used to refer to Sephiroth himself and serves as a motif for the character (Sephiroth's original character theme from Final Fantasy VII is "Those Chosen by the Planet"). With Sephiroth's popularity, "One-Winged Angel" has received several arrangements and had several appearances outside Final Fantasy VII, never far from the presence of the villain it is associated with.
Lyrics[]
The lyrics, aside from the words "Sephiroth", "Gloria", and "Generosa", are taken from the medieval poetry compilation Carmina Burana.
The lyrics were never released officially.
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Game appearances[]
Final Fantasy VII[]
"One-Winged Angel" is the theme for the final battle against Safer∙Sephiroth. It was released as track 16 of disc 4 on the Final Fantasy VII: Original Soundtrack and later as track 83 on the Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack Revival Disc.
The melody of the lyrics "Sors immanis, et inanis" is derived from Sephiroth's theme, "Those Chosen by the Planet". The melody of "Veni, veni, venias, Ne me mori facias" near the conclusion of the piece may also be derived of the accompanying instrumentation that follows the signature motif in Sephiroth's theme. The source of these same lyrics is derived from Carl Orff's "O Fortuna".
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children[]
"One-Winged Angel" was rearranged for the movie to play during the final battle between Cloud Strife and Sephiroth. This arrangement is titled "Advent: One-Winged Angel" and was meant to be the main focus of the film's soundtrack. Notable from any past iteration of the piece, this new version features an orchestral performance accompanied by The Black Mages, orchestrated by Shirō Hamaguchi, and arranged for band by Kenichiro Fukui, with new lyrics by director Tetsuya Nomura and translated into Latin by Taro Yamashita. It was conducted by Koji Haishima and the chorus was G.Y.A. This theme was released as track 9 of disc 2 on the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Original Soundtrack.
For the movie's extended cut, Advent Children Complete, the song was again redone and titled "Advent: One-Winged Angel - ACC Long Version" and features new orchestration by Kazuhiko Toyama and Hamaguchi and it was conducted by Toyama. Since the scene during which the song plays had been lengthened, a new passage was added toward the end. It repeats the song as heard from 1:29–2:15 without the Latin chorus and metal band accompaniment. This new arrangement of "One-Winged Angel" was released as track 12 on the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete Reunion Tracks album.
In the commentary for Advent Children, Nobuo Uematsu says that the previous orchestration never quite felt right to him and, by contrast, the combination of orchestra and metal sounds seemed to be what the piece required all along. Uematsu 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 ended up meshing well for the song's remix.
Lyrics[]
The Latin translation and the original Japanese of the lyrics were officially released on the soundtrack in the following format.
- Latin translation
- Noli manere in memoria.
- Saevam iram et dolorem
- ferum terribile fatum
- veni, mi fili.
- Hic veni, da mihi mortem iterum,
- qui mortem invitavis,
- poena funesta natus,
- noli nomen vocare.
- Ille iterum veniet.
- Sephiroth
- Sephiroth...
- Original Japanese
- 思い出の中に止まる事は無い
- 烈しき怒りと、苦き思いを
- 心無く、おぞましき運命
- 来よ、来よ、愛しの人よ
- さあここに来て、私に再び死を与えよ
- 死を誘いし者
- 破壊の罪に生まれし子
- その名を口にするなかれ
- 彼は再び降りて来る
- セフィロス
- セフィロス...
The following is a transcription of the lyrics from the tracks.
- 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
- Unofficial English translation[1]
- 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 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
- (By Death's invitation)
- My son, come, come, come, my son
- (Born as a punishment)
- My son, come, come, come, my son
- (Don't call the name)
- My son, come, come, come, my son
- (For he will come again)
- Sephiroth
- Sephiroth
- Sephiroth
Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-[]
"Vengeance on the World (from FFVII 'One-Winged Angel')" (世に仇なす者（FFVII『片翼の天使』より）, Yo ni Adanasu Mono (FFVII "Katayoku no Tenshi" yori)?, lit. One Who Takes Revenge on the World (from FFVII "One-Winged Angel")) is an orchestral arrangement by Kazuhiko Toyama. It plays during a flashback sequence where Sephiroth battles Genesis Rhapsodos and the Sephiroth boss battle at Nibelheim, along with "The Iron Beast". This new version is half the length of the original version and features a shorter introduction leading into the vocals much earlier. It is track 10 of disc 2 on the Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Original Soundtrack.
This remix focuses on the song's orchestral elements, providing a contrast between it and Genesis' themes, "Black Wing Unfurled" and "The SOLDIER Way", which focus on rock elements.
Final Fantasy VII Remake[]
"One-Winged Angel - Rebirth" (片翼の天使 -再生-, Katayoku no Tenshi -Saisei-?) plays during the final battle, using the original lyrics and arranged by Yasunori Nishiki with additional composition. This version has four movements, with the third most resembling the original. The song was released as track 10 of disc 7 of the Final Fantasy VII Remake Original Soundtrack. The fourth movement features "Whispers' Theme" that was composed by Masashi Hamauzu, the theme associated with the Whispers.
When Nishiki learned that he was to arrange "One-Winged Angel", he felt "an enormous amount of pressure" and got shingles on the upper left part of his body.[2] In arranging the track, he searched for a form of rearrangement that would satisfy himself without destroying many of the charms of the original and would not tarnish his childhood memories or disappoint himself. As Uematsu composed the original by creating various motifs first and then piecing them all together like a puzzle, Nishiki started his arrangement "reconstructing" the original puzzle by breaking each phrase apart again and rearranging them in a new order.[3][4]
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth[]
Sephiroth
"One-Winged Angel - Reborn" (片翼の天使 -再誕-, Katayoku no Tenshi -Saitan-?) plays during the final battle, arranged by Yasunori Nishiki again. It is track 17 of disc 7 on the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Original Soundtrack.
References of the theme of "One-Winged Angel" are also scattered throughout "Sephiroth Reborn", particularly in "Sephiroth Reborn - Second Advent", composed and arranged by Masashi Hamauzu.
"One-Winged Angel - Piano Performance" is the piano arrangement by Nao Oe that appears for the piano minigame. It is track 16 on the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Gold Saucer & Minigame Disc.
Final Fantasy XV[]
The original Final Fantasy VII version is included in the music player. It is the eighth track of the Memories of FFVII album that is available by default.
Dissidia Final Fantasy (2008)[]
"One-Winged Angel - Orchestra Version (From FINAL FANTASY VII)" is an orchestral arrangement from Final Fantasy VII: Reunion Tracks. It appears as one of the two default Final Fantasy VII battle themes. It is the second track of the Dissidia Final Fantasy Original Soundtrack second disc. Although the lyrics are the same as usual, the melody has bars from the Advent Children version.
"One-Winged Angel - Orchestra Version (From FINAL FANTASY VII)" can be automatically selected for battles including Sephiroth or Cloud or taking place at Planet's Core.
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy[]
"One-Winged Angel - Orchestra Version (From FINAL FANTASY VII)" can be automatically selected for battles including Tifa Lockhart, Sephiroth, or Cloud Strife or taking place at Planet's Core.
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT[]
The Dissidia Final Fantasy arrangement and the original PlayStation version can be bought from the shop for 3,600 gil.
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy[]
The original version of "One-Winged Angel" was selected as the Battle Music Sequence for the Final Fantasy Series play. The game's director, Ichiro Hazama, has noted that "One-Winged Angel" was one of the two main songs the team was told to include when the development on the game was started. The other song was "Clash on the Big Bridge".[5]
"Advent: One Winged Angel" appears in the iOS release as a BMS. It is notably the longest song, both in the game and within the Theatrhythm series, with 973 triggers and lasting approximately six minutes.
The theme is included in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Compilation Album.
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call[]
The original "One-Winged Angel" is a BMS. "Advent: One-Winged Angel" appears as both the Event Music Sequence for Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and as a stand-alone DLC BMS track, the latter having fewer notes than the original Theatrhythm, but still being one of the longest songs. It also appears on the Best of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call album.
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy All-Star Carnival[]
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One-Winged Angel
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Advent: One-Winged Angel
"One-Winged Angel" is a playable Battle Music Sequence purchased from the song store for 5 sound medals.
| Difficulty | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | Basic | Expert | Ultimate | Transcendent |
| N/A | 3 | 5 | 8 | N/A |
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line[]
In addition to the original "One-Winged Angel" and both the BMS and EMS versions of "Advent: One-Winged Angel", "One-Winged Angel - Rebirth" from Final Fantasy VII Remake appears as a Battle Music Sequence. The "Rebirth" arrangement primarily uses the fourth movement, with it beginning by the end of the third movement.
World of Final Fantasy[]
"Advent: One-Winged Angel" plays whenever Sephiroth is summoned via Champion Medal. Once the Medal is obtained, it can also be selected as a normal battle track under the title "Champion Theme: Sephiroth".
Final Fantasy Record Keeper[]
"One-Winged Angel" is included as part of the 6th anniversary special arrange medley, taken from the top 10 music from All Final Fantasy Big Vote.
An arrangement of "One-Winged Angel" appears as the boss theme against Safer Sephiroth in Crystal Dungeon.
"One-Winged Angel FFVII, FFRK Ver. arrange" is an arrangement by Yoshitaka Suzuki that appears in the game. It also includes "Aerith's Theme". It is track 11 on the Final Fantasy Record Keeper Original Soundtrack Vol.5.
Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring[]
The original version of "One-Winged Angel" plays in the cinematic ending for all of the playable characters from Final Fantasy VII (Cloud, Sephiroth, Tifa, Vincent, Yuffie, and Zack). The ending is a montage of FMV scenes from Final Fantasy VII.
Arrangement album appearances[]
Final Fantasy VII: Reunion Tracks[]
An orchestrated arrangement of "One-Winged Angel" by Shiro Hamaguchi was included in the Final Fantasy VII best-of music album. Some versions of the album contain a hidden pregap track accessed by rewinding from the start of the album. This track is an instrumental version of "One-Winged Angel".
Piano Collections: Final Fantasy VII[]
A piano arrangement of the theme by Shiro Hamaguchi and performed by Seiji Honda is included on the Final Fantasy VII iteration of Piano Collections as the eleventh track.
Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy[]
"One-Winged Angel" was performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in this studio orchestra recording.
The recording is also included as track 10 on the Distant Worlds and A New World Collections: music from Final Fantasy VII.
Love SQ[]
A battle medley of "Battle at the Big Bridge", "Dancing Mad", and "One-Winged Angel" appears on the album, remixed by →Pia-no-jaC←.
Octave Theory[]
"Advent: One-Winged Angel (from FINAL FANTASY VII Advent Children)", arranged by Tsutomu Narita and performed by the Earthbound Papas, appears on their first album.
Final Fantasy Orchestral Album[]
"One-Winged Angel" appears on this Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary arrangement album, orchestrated by Shirō Hamaguchi.
BRA★BRA Final Fantasy VII Brass de Bravo[]
"One-Winged Angel" was arranged by Yasumasa Sato and recorded for the album, conducted by Hirofumi Kurita and performed by the Siena Wind Orchestra. It is track 11 on the album.
The same track from the CD album was later also released on BRA★BRA Final Fantasy Battle & Field.
Square Enix Jazz -Final Fantasy VII-[]
"One-Winged Angel Jazz Arrangement" is an arrangement by Ryu Kawamura. It was performed by Ken Higeshiro (drums), Ryu Kawamura (electric bass), Takana Miyamoto (piano), Naoto Suzuki (electric guitar), Eijiro Nakagawa (trombone), and Ryoji Ihara (tenor sax). It is track 11 on the album.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Orchestral Arrangement Album[]
"One-Winged Angel - Rebirth" appears on the album, arranged by Yasunori Nishiki. It was produced and conducted by Arnie Roth and performed by the Shinra Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. In his review of the album, music theorist Stefan Greenfield-Casas notes that the ending of this arrangement musically quotes "O Fortuna" from Orff's Carmina Burana.
Final Fantasy VII Remake: Acoustic Arrangements[]
I'm a big FFVII fan, so when I heard I was in charge of "One-Winged Angel," I was ready to give it everything I had, and I'd like to think I was able to deliver.
This arrangement is made up of six instruments: the flute, piano, and four string instruments. While normally, a string quartet is comprised of two violins, a viola, and a cello, I replaced the second violin with a contrabass.
Overall, I feel the flute enriches the song, the piano adds a dash of color, and the heavy use of an open string gives the arrangement more impact.
When I began working on this, I aimed to emphasize three concepts: the beauty found in dissonance, the interplay between pianissimo and fortissimo, and Sephiroth's insidious-yet-charismatic chaotic nature. Listen closely and not only will you be able to hear that, but also the original track and other battle songs I managed to pepper throughout.Yuya Mori
An acoustic arrangement of "One-Winged Angel - Rebirth" by Yuya Mori appears as track 10 on the album. It is performed by the Atsuki Yoshida EMO Strings: Atsuki Yoshida (violin), Mei Mishina (viola), Kirin Uchida (violoncello), Seiya Yoshida (contrabass), Yuya Mori (piano), and Misaki Hatori (flute).
Radiant Melodies – Final Fantasy VII[]
"One-Winged Angel - Radiant Melodies ver." is an arrangement by Yu Manabe and appears as track 10 on the album celebrating the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII. It was performed by Yu Manabe (violin), Masashi Kimura (contrabass), Akitoshi Kuroda (electric guitar), and Akira Kudo (drums & timpani).[6]
Final Fantasy VII -Chiptune Arrangement Tracks-[]
A chiptune arrangement of "One-Winged Angel" by Hirofumi Sasaki is track 7 on the album.
Live performances[]
"One-Winged Angel" is typically performed as an encore during the Final Fantasy concerts.
20020220 music from Final Fantasy[]
"One-Winged Angel", arranged by Shirō Hamaguchi and performed live by Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and G.Y.A., is included on this concert record album.
More Friends - Music from Final Fantasy[]
"Advent: One-Winged Angel" was included on this concert as the encore, performed by The Black Mages, The World Festival Symphony Orchestra, and The CSUF University Singers, conducted by Arnie Roth, at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, California on May 16th, 2005.
VOICES: Music from Final Fantasy[]
"Advent: One-Winged Angel" was performed live during the concert by the Prima Vista Philharmonic Orchestra, G.Y.A., and The Black Mages. It was arranged by Shirō Hamaguchi and Kenichiro Fukui.
It was also recorded and released in the album.
Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy Returning Home[]
"One-Winged Angel" is included on this live recording of an orchestral concert arranged by Shirō Hamaguchi, performed by the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Arnie Roth held in Tokyo in November 2010. Instead of being the encore, "One-Winged Angel" opens the concert.
Vanafest 2012[]
"Advent: One-Winged Angel" was performed by the Earthbound Papas at the 2012 edition of Vanafest, the Final Fantasy XI Festival.
Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy The Celebration[]
An orchestral arrangement of "One-Winged Angel" by Shirō Hamaguchi was performed for the concerts commemorating 25th anniversary. The recording on the album was performed by the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra at the Tokyo International Forum.
A New World: intimate music from Final Fantasy[]
A live recording of "One Winged Angel" from at the London premiere of the concert of the same name on February 15, 2014, conducted by Arnie Roth, is included on this album.
Final Symphony[]
"FINAL FANTASY VII - Symphony in Three Movements" is a symphony arranged and orchestrated by Jonne Valtonen for the Final Symphony concert series. The first movement of the symphony, titled "Nibelheim Incident", is based on Sephiroth. The 3-note motif of Sephiroth is used throughout the first movement as an element of structural integrity. In the final phase, "The One-Winged Angel" emerges before gradually distorting as all of the earlier themes are gradually built on top of each other. This distortion is a reflection of Sephiroth's internal chaos as he becomes aware of his past. In the end of the movement, things slow down. As Sephiroth is reborn, the familiar pulse is heard "in almost spiritual context".[7]
It was recorded on Final Symphony - music from Final Fantasy VI, VII and X.
Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy The Journey of 100[]
An orchestral arrangement of "One-Winged Angel" was conducted by Arnie Roth and performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. It was arranged by Shirō Hamaguchi.
BRA★BRA Final Fantasy Brass de Bravo 2017 with Siena Wind Orchestra[]
"One-Winged Angel" was performed live at the Tokyo Bunka Kaiken on May 14, 2017 and was recorded. It was conducted by Hirofumi Kurita and performed by the Siena Wind Orchestra.
BRA★BRA Final Fantasy VII Brass de Bravo with Siena Wind Orchestra[]
"One-Winged Angel" was performed during the concert tour in 2018, conducted by Hirofumi Kurita and performed by the Siena Wind Orchestra. The live recording from the 2018.5.12 Tokyo Bunka Kaikan performance was released on the concert Blu-ray.
Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy Jiritsu[]
"FINAL FANTASY VII: One-Winged Angel" is a concert performance performed and recorded for the Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary. It was conducted by Arnie Roth and performed by the New Japan Philharmonic and the Tokyo Art Academy Singers.
Square Enix Jazz -Final Fantasy VII- at Billboard Live TOKYO[]
"LIVE: One-Winged Angel Jazz Arrangement" was performed live at Billboard Live TOKYO in February 2020 and recorded as track 4 of disc 2 on the album.
Final Fantasy 35th Anniversary Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy Coral Live CD[]
"FINAL FANTASY VII : One-Winged Angel" was orchestrated by Shirō Hamaguchi and performed live as an encore at the concert celebrating Final Fantasy 35th Anniversary, recorded live as track 12 of disc 2 on the album. It was conducted by Arnie Roth and performed by the New Japan Philharmonic.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Orchestra World Tour Live 2024.09.08[]
"One-Winged Angel - Rebirth Medley" is an orchestration by Yuya Mori that is performed as an encore in the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth orchestra world tour. The beginning of the medley also includes "Let's End This─Together" that was composed by Masashi Hamauzu that plays during the cutscene before the final battle with Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. The concert held on September 8, 2024 at PACIFICO Yokohama National Convention Hall in Kanagawa was recorded live and released on the album, conducted by Arnie Roth and performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and Barzz.
"One-Winged Angel - Rebirth Medley" is track 8 of disc 2 on the album.
Video performances[]
Square Enix Music Channel[]
A piano cover of "One-Winged Angel" was arranged and performed by Yui Morishita and uploaded on the channel on January 31, 2025 in celebration of "Final Fantasy VII Day" and the 100th video in the cover performance series on the channel.[8][9][10][11][12]
Compilation album appearances[]
Final Fantasy S Generation: Official Best Collection[]
The orchestral version of "One-Winged Angel" from the Final Fantasy VII: Reunion Tracks was included on this album as the eighth track.
Final Fantasy Vinyls[]
"One-Winged Angel" is included on the fifth disc of this collector's edition set.
Final Fantasy VII Vinyl Limited Edition[]
"One-Winged Angel" is included on the fourth disc of this collectors' edition.
Final Fantasy Villains[]
"FINAL FANTASY VII : One-Winged Angel" is track 7 on the album.
2017 BRA★BRA Final Fantasy Original Music Collection Original de Bravo[]
"One-Winged Angel" is track 14 on the album.
Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary Tracks 1987-2017[]
"One-Winged Angel" is track 64 of disc 1 on the album celebrating Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary.
Compilation of Final Fantasy VII: Best Selection[]
"Vengeance on the World (from FFVII 'One-Winged Angel')" from Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- is track 10 of disc 1 and "Advent: One-Winged Angel" from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is track 12 of disc 3 on the album.
Heroes and Villains[]
"One-Winged Angel" is track 6 on side B of the Heroes and Villains Third album.
Final Fantasy VII Compilation Vinyl[]
"One-Winged Angel" is track 5 of side B on the album celebrating Final Fantasy VII 25th anniversary.
Non-Final Fantasy guest appearances[]
Kingdom Hearts[]
"One-Winged Angel" was arranged by Yoko Shimomura twice for the series, playing in superboss battles with Sephiroth in both Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, as well as playing during his fights with Cloud in cutscenes. The remixes of the theme feature shorter intros, leading almost immediately into the Latin vocals, and the vocals as a whole are more prominent than in the original version. The two versions were released on Kingdom Hearts Final Mix - Additional Tracks, Kingdom Hearts II Original Soundtrack, and later on Kingdom Hearts Original Soundtrack Complete.
The HD ReMIX versions each remix the two versions with enhanced vocals and instrumentation. They were released on Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX Original Soundtrack and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX Original Soundtrack.
The song is an unlockable track in Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory under the name "One-Winged Angel (from FINAL FANTASY VII)".
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
Sephiroth's trailer, itself titled "The One-Winged Angel!", features "Advent: One-Winged Angel" as the backing track. The final notes from this song were also used as Sephiroth's victory theme. The original rendition from Final Fantasy VII was also included as a bonus track.
"Advent: One Winged Angel" is also the longest track in the Super Smash Bros. series, lasting 6 minutes and 7 seconds before the loop.
Fantasian Neo Dimension[]
"FFVII REMAKE: One-Winged Angel - Rebirth" from Final Fantasy VII Remake is available as music in the game.[13][14]
Louis Vuitton Men Fall-Winter 2025 Show[]
"One-Winged Angel" appeared as the first track at the Louis Vuitton fashion show on January 21, 2025 at the Cour Carrée du Louvre, Paris.[15][16] The show soundtrack is produced by music director Pharrell Williams and "One-Winged Angel" is arranged and orchestrated by Thomas Roussel. It is performed by l'Orchestre du Pont Neuf and conducted by Roussel.[17][18][19][20]
Nobuo Uematsu stated that he never thought the day would come when "One-Winged Angel" would be played at a Louis Vuitton fashion show.[21]
Other media[]
Motomu Toriyama said that "Caius's Theme" from Final Fantasy XIII-2 was meant to surpass even "One-Winged Angel".
The One-Winged Angel Keyblade.
In Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and Kingdom Hearts: Re:Chain of Memories, "One-Winged Angel" appears as a Keyblade for Sora known as the One-Winged Angel. It is one of the more powerful Keyblades that can be obtained and is modeled after Sephiroth's Masamune. In Final Mix, it is obtained by defeating Sephiroth, while in Chain of Memories and its remake, it can be found in the Room of Rewards.
Defeating Sephiroth in Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX unlocks the "One-Winged Angel" trophy. In Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, players will receive a PSN trophy titled the "One-Winged Angel" after defeating Sephiroth.
The theme is featured in a Robot Chicken skit that parodies Final Fantasy VII. Here, the only lyrics featured is the word "Hamburger" played comically when Sephiroth appears in the skit.
In the video game Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory, "One-winged angel" is the name of a quest client.
Aggrotech band Reaper uses samples from "One-Winged Angel" in their song "Daemon" on their 2005 Angst EP.
Professional wrestler and avid video game fan Kenny Omega has named his finishing move after the theme.
Behind the scenes[]
How Nobuo Uematsu Composed FF7's "One-Winged Angel"
"One-Winged Angel" broke new ground in the Final Fantasy series by being the first vocal song. The developers experimented with the song and took the recording of it and reduced it in a way it would fit the game; Composer Nobuo Uematsu has mentioned that "One-Winged Angel" is a good example of an experimental song or a result that they didn't expect from the beginning. Having composed many battle themes for the series before, Uematsu wanted to create something new and unique for "One-Winged Angel".
Nobuo Uematsu got his inspiration for "One-Winged Angel" through Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho theme. Uematsu himself states it so in the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children special feature, "The Distance: Making of Featurette" on disc two of the Two-Disc Special Edition. Uematsu has also said that he had wanted to fuse "musical styles of Russian composer Igor Stravinsky and rock musician Jimi Hendrix" with the song.[22] Specifically, "One-Winged Angel" appears to be based on Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring in terms of form and orchestration, using the "augur chord", one of the most famous motifs Stravinsky came up with.[23] Uematsu has also said that he wanted to create something that would sound like '60s or '70s rock music performed by a full orchestra and for the piece to have the same destructive impact as rock music.
It felt too boring to start the piece with an introduction, followed by melody A, melody B, a chorus and an ending, like most songs. I wanted to make something different, structurally. So without any preconceptions about how the song would turn out I wrote down two to four measures of music that popped into my head every day until I got about 20 to 30 different measures. Then I took those different pieces and rearranged them to fit together well. That process of placing these various two-to-four measure pieces of music is how I composed 'One-Winged Angel'.
Nobuo Uematsu
"One-Winged Angel" is the only composition that Uematsu has done with the "puzzle piece" method.
Uematsu had not been trained or been in an orchestra prior to composing "One-Winged Angel", but he wanted to keep the orchestral music atmosphere and be able to "rock it" and have a thick orchestral feel to it. He had samples of material that he had prepared for the orchestra, but, in the end, he ended up just giving it over to them and seeing how they could perform it.[24]
During the VOICES: Music from Final Fantasy concert, the encore piece was "One-Winged Angel" performed by both The Black Mages and the orchestra. Afterward Uematsu has stated: "At that moment, I knew that was the complete "One-Winged Angel". So I still think "One-Winged Angel" is a rock piece."[24]
Etymology and symbolism[]
The name of the theme refers to Sephiroth's appearance in the final battle, as well as his role in the story.
A one-winged angel specifically refers to a fallen angel. In the non-canonical pseudepigraphical work, the Testament of Solomon, a one-winged demon named Abezethibou is summoned by King Solomon. Abezethibou is shown to have a single red wing, this mutilation symbolizing his fall from heaven, following his betrayal of God to serve the Prince of Hell, Beelzebub.
Sephiroth's "One-Winged Angel" incarnation and its six white wings nod to the angelic description of Seraphim in Isaiah 6:2: "Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two they veiled their faces, with two they veiled their feet, and with two they hovered aloft". However, the name and title "One-Winged Angel" owe themselves not to these six white wings, but to the seventh single black wing.
Allusions to the character[]
- Original version
- Estuans interius // Ira vehementi // Estuans interius // Ira vehementi // Sephiroth // Sephiroth (Burning inside // with violent anger // Burning inside with // violent anger // Sephiroth // Sephiroth) - Sephiroth was driven to madness out of rage due to his mistaken belief that he was the last living Cetra and that the humans had abandoned them to their fate.
- Advent Children/Advent Children Complete remix
- Noli manere, manere in memoria // Noli manere, manere in memoria // Sephiroth, Sephiroth (Do not remain, remain in memory // Do not remain, remain in memory // Sephiroth, Sephiroth) - Sephiroth vows that he will "never be a memory" upon being defeated. He intends to retain his will in the Lifestream after nearly being absorbed by it.
- Saevam iram, iram et dolorem // Saevam iram, iram et dolorem // Sephiroth, Sephiroth (Raging anger, anger and sorrow // Raging anger, anger and sorrow // Sephiroth, Sephiroth) - Sephiroth was driven mad and desires revenge against Cloud. It may also allude to his initial mistaken belief of the Cetra being betrayed by the humans that drove him to madness in the first place.
- Veni, mi fili. Veni, mi fili // Hic veni, da mihi mortem iterum // Veni, mi fili. Veni, mi fili // Hic veni, da mihi... (Come, my son. Come my son // Come here, give me death once more // Come, my son. Come my son // Come here, give me... ) - Sephiroth created the Remnants of Sephiroth, in particular Kadaj, to act as a vessel to recreate his body after his second defeat. He plans to turn Gaia into a new meteor to repeat what Jenova had started.
- Noli manere in memoria // Saevam iram et dolorem // Ferum terribile fatum // Ille iterum veniet (Do not remain in memory // Raging anger and sorrow // Brutal terrible fate // He will come again) - Sephiroth's revival.
- Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili (Qui mortem invitavit) // 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) (My son, come, come, come, my son // He invited death // My son, come, come, come, my son // Painful tainted birth // My son, come, come, come, my son // Do not call // My son, come, come, come, my son // He will come again) - The lyrics sung in the background allude to the horrific nature behind Sephiroth's creation by Professor Hojo, how Sephiroth was destined to bring death and destruction, as well as his eventual return.
See also[]
Citations[]
- ↑ Thread at the WordReference forums
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7qAMsbFqqI
- ↑ https://www.square-enix-games.com/en_US/news/final-fantasy-vii-remake-revisited-chapter-18
- ↑ https://jp.finalfantasy.com/topics/401
- ↑ http://www.destructoid.com/theatrhythm-producer-gives-us-the-dirt-on-development-230659.phtml
- ↑ https://xcancel.com/sem_sep/status/1603300227544678402
- ↑ http://www.spielemusikkonzerte.de/en/konzerte/final-symphony/
- ↑ https://xcancel.com/sem_sep/status/1884905058367877445
- ↑ https://xcancel.com/morige/status/1884934427677200676
- ↑ https://xcancel.com/sem_sep/status/1885251735113130472
- ↑ https://bsky.app/profile/morige.bsky.social/post/3lgznvksyts2u
- ↑ https://xcancel.com/morige/status/1885321089292927395
- ↑ https://na.finalfantasy.com/news/2730
- ↑ https://jp.finalfantasy.com/news/5424
- ↑ https://xcancel.com/finalfantasyvii/status/1881783259677552804
- ↑ https://xcancel.com/FFVIIR_CLOUD/status/1881874673786610055
- ↑ https://xcancel.com/LouisVuitton/status/1882795509183828273
- ↑ https://xcancel.com/LouisVuitton_JP/status/1883764514489040916
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/thomasroussel/reel/DFI1Z0Jg6U_/
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/thomasroussel/p/DFNwA3jNN0G/
- ↑ https://xcancel.com/UematsuNobuo/status/1881989372033273904
- ↑ http://youtu.be/_vy4eNxTlGg
- ↑ https://xcancel.com/Genki_JPN/status/1959630175970410575
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20090901000000*/http://www.nobuouematsu.com/nobegm2.html
External links[]
- Alexander Pushkin's The Prophet (Full text).